Software

What is Software?

Computer software is a general term used to describe a collection of computer programs, procedures and documentation that perform some tasks on a computer system. Software includes websites, programs, video games, etc. that are coded by programming languages like C, C++, etc. The term “software” is sometimes used in a broader context to mean anything which is not hardware (which encompasses the physical interconnections and devices required to store and execute (or run) the software) but which is used with hardware, such as film, tapes, records, etc.

In computers, software is loaded into RAM and executed in the CPU. Once the software is loaded, the computer is able to execute the software. This involves passing instructions from the application software, through the system software, to the hardware which ultimately receives the instruction as machine code. Each instruction causes the computer to carry out an operation – moving data, carrying out a computation, or altering the control flow of instructions. Software is usually written in high-level programming languages that are easier and more efficient for humans to use (closer to natural language) than machine language. The term “software” was first used by John. W. Tukey in 1958.